MaineCourse

Serial marathon

When we began this project several months ago, there was a loose understanding that hours of labor required and overall duration would diverge notably. It was also understood that Adam would have to put his own shoulder mightily to the wheel, unable to afford Michael doing all of the work. But even hindsight isn't all that clear on the trajectory now........

Yesterday Adam walked out into this newly yellow cube and strapped on his toolbelt to make ready for Mike's next push -- blueboard. Meanwhile, Mike took himself and his family all the way to Gilsum, NH and refreshing Spoon's Pond to distance himself from this now "boring and bankrupt" albatross, and to breathe fresh, clean air into lungs recently polluted by the insidious filaments of fiberglass. Adam looked around the warm, humid confines and gathered the strays of his will together. And had an epiphany.

In early demo, Michael had carefully dismantled the kitchen floor duct, located in the slider wall to be demolished, and had stuffed fiberglass into it to keep debris out. Thus had it stayed, momentarily forgotten. With the rest of the Kibbe household now on central A/C, this duct languished, merely adding pressure, perhaps, to the rest of the household. But Adam saw that it was on the addition side....... Seconds later, an invisible fountain of cool air spewed up into the strata of heat and began to work magic.

Buoyed by this shift, both of temperature and of attitude, Adam plowed into the task at hand -- applying strapping to the trayed, hip ceiling. A critical task, as its joinery sets the stage for the blueboard, on which will be writ in the plasterer's hand with skimcoat the lines and angles of Adam's vision. All went swimmingly for 4 or 5 hours until Adam ran short of strapping less than 20 cuts and 16' from completion.

No matter, a quick trip into Home Depot for some 1 x 3 and exterior caulk (for other tasks) after the Sunday paper, and he was back at it, finishing in time to watch the Western open be put lengthily into time delay twice on account of thunder and lightning, with Tiger in a commanding lead (yeah, Adam sometimes watches golf, the putz). The stage is now in readiness for the beginning of the end, as one of the last items of gross construction comes to an end, and finish materials begin to take sway. Outside, final spackling and caulking makes ready for finish paint; inside one can begin to dream of paint. And of tile, lights, furniture, music.......

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.......

Lines of strapping 1' apart trace the shape of the hip tray. Have at it, Mike!

I dimly note a change in style, Mike. Are you Adam? Is Adam you? Who am I?

Great addition, Adam, no pun intended.

Posted by bewildered.

3 thumbs up. Great picture. I especiallly appreciate the horizontal horizon. Please comment on my archetype of boys and pond.

Posted by still bewildered after all these years.

To forget is to forgive and I guess I'll forget that you figured out the A/C duct AFTER we sweated like pigs in a roasting pit. Or I'll use that technique tomorrow when I return to hang the board.

Posted by Michael.

Dear Bewildered,

Thanks for your kind words, but more especially (am I speaking okay the English?), thanks for the obscure but pithy reference to PhotoSIG, which I can only hope was fully intentional, as my angst at entering a blog section -- at Michael's insistence, I hasten to note -- mirrors much of my insecurity as manifested in my days on the SIG.

Your archetypes are well-composed and evocative, though with a slight blurring that makes me wish you'd chosen a faster shutter speed. But the off-center positioning and casual poses lend great intimacy, take a viewer "into" the scene. And nice counterpoint of color in the suits, juxtaposed against the verdant but monochromatic summer backdrop. The horizon, though.......

; >)

Posted by appreciative.

I thought the story would go along the lines of "Adam strapped on his toolbelt to make ready for Mike, who, alas, FORGOT about commitment to Adam and instead took his family to Gilsum, NH for a cereal marathon. " This scenario would have been reminiscent of...oh never mind...as Michael states in his comment, "to forget is to forgive".

Posted by chris.

I'm with Bewildered.

And also with Still Bewildered, as least up to the "please comment . . . part.

Posted by Flummoxed in Flatbush.

Chris, I was here and my truck was outside hollering, "Scream louder, the idiot is sleeping." Actually, by then I think I was in the shower. Thanks for the VF's.

Posted by Michael.

Nice site! Well done !

Posted by beim sex.

Posted by Michael at July 6, 2003 07:51 PM